Things We Know
by HelloFoxie
Summary: Kakashi thought he had the perfect mission to bring his team closer together. But instead it threw not only what he knew out the window, but also brought the foundations of Sasuke's life to breaking point as secrets are revealed, and new information is uncovered about what really happened the night of the Uchiha massacre. Undercover ANBU Naruto. Itachi Angst.
1. The Perfect Mission

There was three things Hatake Kakashi was certain of.

One, he was running out of passages of Icha Icha that he hadn't yet read aloud to the mortification of his Jonin peers. Their reactions were getting less hilarious and he earned more eye rolls than devastating blushes last time he recounted the erotic sauna scene between Kimi and Michiko while sitting in the Jonin lounge. He almost couldn't hide his pout.

Two, the tap in his downstairs neighbours' shower was leaky. He could hear it _drip, drip, drip,_ with annoying frequency as he laid awake in bed. He knew his neighbour was a civilian, but by Kami he don't know how he was so oblivious to that infernal noise.

Three, he would be copping an earful from his cute little Genin if he showed up with a list of D-Ranks to accomplish yet again.

Ever since their mis-ranked Wave mission, he had held back on the C ranks. The mission had opened his eyes to how far his team had to go before they were ready for larger missions. Their teamwork really was lacking, and Kakashi couldn't babysit them every second of a mission outside the Village.

C ranks were designed to ease Genin into acting outside the Village and without direct supervision of an Instructor. It was a gateway into becoming Chuunin and being able to shoulder more responsibility.

Unfortunately, all the Wave mission had proven to Kakashi was that none of his Genin were ready for the next step in their careers.

Sakura, while very bright, was completely blind to all other cues around her if Sasuke was within her range of sight. He had witnessed the girl miss her own mouth with a scoop of rice while watching her brooding teammate, much to her embarrassment. It was as if she kept a separate room in her mind that she locked away all her intellect and knowledge in when around her crush, leaving only a messy goop of gurgles and squeals in command of her body.

She was clearly not yet able to act objectively or impartially as a team leader.

Sasuke, also very bright, was something of a disappointment to him. His test scores and academy reviews raved over the prodigal Uchiha and his amazing skills, yet what was served to him on Genin placement day was a half-baked powerhouse disaster. As he observed the Uchiha through D rank missions, he witnessed him complete tasks with a sometimes brutal efficiency. But there was a severe lacking of a few things Kakashi liked to call 'normal personality traits.' And this was coming from _him_.

Empathy, sympathy and camaraderie were all either poor or non-existent within the boy. Kakashi cursed whoever had let the Uchiha wallow in this pity and resentment his whole life, creating this being with an inability to react normally to anybody around him. He was all smirks and sarcastic comments to Naruto, but just once Kakashi would like to see a non-cynical response from the boy. He would gladly kill to see Sasuke laugh openly the next time Naruto face planted over a tree-root, rather than that damn superior smirk.

He had power, true, but lacked any ability to use it effectively without injuring himself or others. As if he had been handed power, but had not been taught when and how to use it effectively. Throughout his life, his dark eyes and hair had earned him bows and opened doors for him, often without him even needing to stoop so low as to ask.

Kakashi would only recommend Sasuke to be a team leader if he wholeheartedly wanted the rest of the team to die.

Then there was Naruto, how often had to grovel to get through the same doors Sasuke had had held open for him with smiles and bows. He had scraped through life to this point, surviving realistically only on the goodwill of the Hokage and an underlying fear from the Village population.

Naruto was strong, but in a different way to Sasuke. Although he would never admit it, Kakashi privately considered Naruto's strength of character to be more advanced than Sasuke's raw power. If Naruto wanted something done, he would bloody well get it done through blood, sweat and tears, where Sasuke would have given up or had it handed to him long ago.

Kakashi admired this about Naruto, but he wished he would be a little more quiet about it. Perhaps he would settle down as he grew, but at the moment he couldn't imagine Naruto being an effective leader for anything other than a team going to destroy someone who had eaten his precious Ichiraku Ramen.

But for all his yelling about becoming Hokage, Kakashi privately believed that Naruto would run head-first into a battle without thinking in the near future, and end up dead. The boy was just too loud, too oblivious to be a good ninja. His outgoing personality said 'Leader,' but his stupidity and brashness overrode his more positive qualities.

Kakashi sighed internally. It was going to be difficult to keep this group alive, let alone functioning as a team.

And so he had kept them doing simple D rank 'missions' in hopes of building up his teams cooperation. But sadly all that frequently happened was Naruto ended up face down in the dirt, or covered in slime, while Sakura stood about preening and doing the least amount of work, and Sasuke moped around with a sneer on his face as if the whole thing was beneath him.

He sympathised. He really did. D ranks were the worst and the pay wasn't much better. But he couldn't in good conscience submit this sub-par team to another battle situation where one could accidentally kill the others. Or rather Naruto and Sasuke could accidentally kill the others and Sakura could watch both her teammates die.

That gave him a little bit of a problem now, however. Over the last weeks of D rank after D rank, the teamwork had deteriorated rather than strengthening. He had had to stop Sakura taking of Naruto's head with a pitchfork last week, and only yesterday he had witnessed a gleam in Naruto's eye as he held one of the Kunai he had picked up while tidying Training Ground 3. He still wasn't sure what to think of the look Naruto had given the small projectile, but he got the feeling the blonde was fantasizing sticking it into the soft parts of one of his teammates.

And so Kakashi had begrudgingly requested a C rank for today, under the request that certain restrictions were met.

One such request being that they not travel far from the village. A short journey to the next town over might be the nice stroll that his Genin needed to work out the energy they had had pent up after so long in the village doing repetitious D ranks.

A few other restrictions being they were placed on missions without antagonistic clients who - like Tazuna had in the beginning - might further drive a wedge between teammates. Also a low risk of combat, and perhaps a route that would take them via some historical area where he could provide a little education into Konoha's history.

Perhaps learning more about the history of their village and witnessing the landmarks left over from war would impress upon them the importance of their positions as Shinobi. It had certainly had an impact the day that he revealed the purpose of the memorial stone on their first day as a team.

Receiving the actual mission chosen by the Hokage, however, Kakashi was quite surprised. She had managed to meet all his requests - no doubt partly thanks to her partiality to Naruto - and had even found a C rank mission that kept them _inside_ the village. Very rarely were any C-Rank missions based inside the walls, unless they consisted of guarding the wall or perhaps assisting at the Academy. But in no way did he want his team anywhere near a large group of impressionable brats.

However, this mission would take them deep into the Shinobi archives, a place often limited to Jonin or research nin only. Even Sasuke would have to be a little impressed by the clearance they were given. He might even show it visibly.

He let left his train of thought as he appeared in front of his disgruntled Genin team as they lounged on the meeting bridge.

Eye-smiling as his two loudest Genin shouted their anger at his tardiness, Kakashi waved in a placating way.

"Maa, sorry guys! I was busy getting our new C Rank mission from the Hokage!" He smiled cheerfully down at them

The anger in his Genin's eyes sputtered and made way for confusion. And then…

"WAA REALLY?! YOU'RE THE BEST KAKASHI-SENSEI!"

…Happiness.

Naruto jumped up and down whooping while Sakura struggled to contain her own squeals. Even Sasuke cocked his head and smirked with what was the Uchiha equivalent of an excited grin.

"So where are we going this time?" Asked Naruto excitedly after he had calmed down.

"We're going.." Kakashi began with a suspenseful pause. His Genin leaned forward. "… to the Konoha archives!"

Kakashi almost laughed. Each Genin noticeably deflated in their own way. An eye roll from Sasuke, a slack jaw from Naruto, and a sagging of the shoulders from Sakura.

This was going to be _fun_.

Kakashi gave a nod to the nin who opened the door to the archives for him. As he ushered his Genin inside, he noticed them all look around at shelf after shelf after shelf of stuffed full of scrolls.

Naruto began to tremble.

"Please tell me we don't have to sort these." He begged. Kakashi was certain he saw Sasuke's eyes widen in horror.

"No, no, no." Kakashi chuckled. "You're not ready for a B rank mission just yet."

He cheerily led his Genin deeper into the room. They passed dozens of identical dusty shelves until they reached the centre of the large room.

There, the Genin all stared curiously at a strange circular table, which was covered completely by a huge, intricate seal. The seal was scrawled in delicate, tiny characters, looping around and through itself in a hypnotic way. Kakashi wasn't certain any of his Genin - except maybe Sakura - were even aware what seals were. However, he could see the respectful and appraising eye they warily cast over the table, indicating if nothing else they recognized that all that work hadn't gone into just some fancy decoration.

Kakashi turned to his Genin.

"I know you all think this mission is beneath you, but in fact you are very lucky. Not many Genin are allowed down here."

His students straightened, taking in his unusually serious demeanour. For once, Naruto was quiet, and Sasuke had lost his slouch.

"Each and every scroll in this room is an important part of Konoha's history. Every mission of consequence has at least one scroll dedicated to it. But these aren't your average mission reports."

He pulled a scroll from inside his jacket, unfurling it with a flourish. The Genin curiously inspected the seal displayed on the inside, not sure what they were looking at but interested none the less.

"Each of these scrolls holds the memory of one or more Konoha Ninja, past and present. Through them, we are able to review important and significant events as witnessed by some of our own, whether it happened yesterday or decades ago. This seal is the physical code behind a memory, and no two are alike."

Kakashi eye-smiled, drawing attention back to the scroll in his hand.

"This one, in fact, is my own recount of our mission to Wave."

"Coooooool!" Naruto gasped, eyes lighting up. "So can we see?! I wanna see us kick Gatou's butt again!"

"Unfortunately not." Kakashi rolled up the scroll. "It is not possible to enter a memory if you are present in it. It can be very dangerous, even deadly, and there are safeguards in effect to stop anyone entering a memory they may be a part of. Even if you are just a passer-by in the street."

Kakashi placed the scroll on a nearby shelf.

"We're simply storing our scroll here for future generations to observe. Scrolls like this can be used for training, recon, or even proof of death for a bounty claim."

"So future Ninja get to see us in action? Cool!" Naruto bounced excitedly.

Sasuke smirked. "More like watch you make a fool out of yourself."

"Enough!" Kakashi frowned, stopping Naruto as he began to round on Sasuke. They straightened to attention again at his serious tone.

"Each scroll here is a physical piece of Konoha. In this room, we can witness our greatest accomplishments, our history, and even Konoha being built." His face became sombre. "But we can also see our greatest failures. Make no mistake, there are memories in here of Konoha nin dying. Of Ninja who have witnessed the deaths of our former Hokage. If we so wanted, we could watch Konoha razed to the ground by the Nine tailed Fox, or the see the Yondaime destroy an entire army of Iwa nin. These scrolls are here to teach us, to guide the future choices and actions of the village. Once again, you are very lucky to be here, and I'm trusting you to take this seriously and respectfully. I hope I have not misplaced my trust."

His Genin gulped silently at his softly spoken words. Silence reigned over the group, making the huge room feel claustrophobic.

"What we are doing here today will be helping Konoha. The Hokage is looking for specific intel on a village far to the north of Hi no Kuni, which not many Ninja have travelled to, and those who have are no longer among us." The Genin flinched minutely. "Records indicate that ANBU Team 4 were there for a mission almost six years ago, and luckily what occurred on that mission was deemed important enough to be put into archives, so with any luck we will be able to explore the village through the eyes of one of the ANBU in this team."

His eyes grew dark once again. "The reason we cannot simply ask the members of this group for the information we are after is that every identifying record of them has been destroyed. We have no names, ages, genders or other identifying information. We have simply their code names and ANBU ID numbers. This is done for only a handful of reasons. One, they are in deep, deep cover. If that is the case, and we see some of these ANBU without masks, we may be looking at the face of someone we recognize. If this happens, you must swear to never repeat or discuss what or who we see in this memory. Do you understand."

"Hai, Sensei!" They chorused. He had their full, undivided attention.

He nodded, satisfied.

"Good. Another reason for records being destroyed is they retired from service, and so they can live a relatively peaceful life without fear of discovery, and potential retribution for their actions while in service. This, however, is a very unlikely possibility, as less than 5 per cent retire from ANBU and the Shinobi career at the same time. More often, they are reintegrated into Jonin ranks, or they die in the line of duty."

You could have heard a pin drop on the other side of the room.

"Which brings us to our last reason for destruction of records. Death. When an ANBU dies in the line of duty, all records are destroyed. This is both to protect any family the Shinobi may have had, as well as to prevent enemy nin from infiltrating and discovering information on Konoha as a result of their death."

Sakura finally found a voice to speak.

"But Sensei, if the ANBU is dead, how could they find anything out?" She frowned.

Kakashi smiled down at her.

"Well, Sakura, imagine this. ANBU are often assigned to very secret missions. Sometimes, they are even required to do the dirtiest of dirty work in the name of Konoha's safety. In instances like this, ANBU can even act completely undercover, dressed and acting so as not to identify themselves as Konoha nin.

"Now, imagine a team were ordered by the Daimyo to assassinate a political member from another country. But, after successfully completing the mission, one of the nin was killed upon escape and his team unable to retrieve the body. Now, an ANBU body has seals in place that completely the disintegrate the body of a deceased if their mask or cloak is tampered with. Their identity may still be a secret, but it is fairly easy to trace the ninja's origin back to Konoha, as this disintegration method is known to originate from us."

The Genin were hanging on his every word.

"In situations like this, which have happened in the past, the Hokage can make an apology, and an official statement is made to say that the ninja had gone rogue and had acted outside of his commands. Of course, this is not easily believed, but without proof, no retribution can be taken against Konoha as a whole. But now, imagine that a sympathetic party of the victim was able to gain access to Konoha's records.

"A spy could easily trace back ninja 'retired' from service during the appropriate period, and through other factors could determine the name of who it was that had died as a result of this mission. From there, a competent infiltrator could trace the files of this ninja into their position in ANBU, and could uncover the mission to kill the politician."

"This could then create huge problems politically for Konoha, and put us in a very bad place. Also, by knowing the ANBU ID of the deceased Ninja, they could then find out the identities of their team mates who most likely were also part of the mission. And there, from a simple paper trail, both Konoha and potentially three or more of their ANBU could have a target painted on their backs."

Sakura and Sasuke were contemplating his words with morbid fascination. Naruto, although seeming to grasp the seriousness of the situation, seemed to be struggling with the complexities of it. He decided to summarise.

"In conclusion, my cute Genin, this room holds information that could get Konoha and many of its Ninja in great trouble, both from people inside the village and outside of it too. That is why it is very important that you take what you may or may not see here today very seriously and not repeat it to anyone else. Or even discuss it amongst yourselves. This room is protected by many strong Genjuutsu and seals, and is not even visible to those without clearance to see it. So, the only way anyone would find out information from these scrolls without infiltrating very high in the ranks of Konoha nin, is if someone were to discuss what they see here outside this room. As they say, 'loose lips sink ships.'" Kakashi eye smiled.

Looking down at his Genin, he noticed their ramrod straight posture and smiled.

Kakashi knew based on the clearance level attached to this scroll that nothing of huge significance had happened on the mission. The ranking system was tricky and convoluted on these sort of things, and it wasn't just a straight scale. Each mission was sorted and ranked and grouped differently based on factors including the participants, activities, mission rank, mission outcome, repercussions of the mission and so many other factors.

This particular scroll had not been ranked high on the 'mission outcome', 'activities' or 'repercussions' scales. Meaning there was minimal combat and sensitive material. It was ranked unusually high on the 'participants' scale, however, and the Hokage had remarked on this with casual interest. It was unlikely, however, that the Genin would recognize any of the Shinobi in the memory. Their ninja contact was limited mainly to himself and the academy. All in all, his Genin would be able to get a taste of the true Shinobi life without much in the way of lasting scarring.

However, his Genin were no doubt expecting the worse, and it appeared their health was suffering for it. He was sure Sakura was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Oh dear." He muttered inside his own head. Might need to take it down a notch.

"Maa," he smiled reassuringly at them "While we don't have specifics, I can tell you that none of the ANBU died on this mission, so don't worry about that. All we are going in for is to have a look around."

He was pleased to see they relaxed minutely and Sakura began to breathe somewhat normally.

Kakashi created a Shadow Clone that went to fetch the scroll they required. As it made its way back, he gave them some more information.

"Now, when we go in, we will be looking from inside the eyes of the Ninja whose memory it is. A memory is kind of like a TV show; nothing outside of their field of vision 'exists,' so to speak. So we can't look around. You will be able to feel each other's presence, but we won't have any bodies, so it might take a while to get used to the sensation. Just relax, and think of everything you see like it is on TV. It can't hurt you, you are simply watching."

His clone returned with the scroll, and rolled it out across the seal-covered table, poofing out of existence. He moved over to continue setting up, lining up the scroll to match the seals together.

As he did so, he had a final re-think of what they were going to do here.

When he first received the mission from the Hokage, he had been surprised, and a little uncertain. Thinking about Lady Tsunade's reasoning now, however, he realized this would be the perfect mission for his Genin. A chance to experience what Shinobi life really meant. To witness real, powerful Ninja and their battles, and see first hand how far they had to go until they reached such a level. He hoped Sasuke would be taken down a peg or two after realizing that he still had so much growing up to do before he was ready to be on the level of elites that he already thought himself a part of.

They would see a highly trained team interact and coordinate to complete a mission, and Kakashi was hoping this would be exactly what would push their team further together as they recognized the importance of teamwork. If they just functioned properly together, Sakura's brains would complement Sasuke's precision, which would in turn complement Naruto's strategic mind and brute strength.

Genin teams were created to complement each-other. Unfortunately this worked for Team 7 only in theory, as emotions and personalities between them were so mismatched and simply would not work together, no matter what Kakashi did in way of teamwork training. Perhaps a shared experience would push them closer together.

He finished preparing the seals.

"Alright, everybody step forward and place your hands on one of these." He gestured to one of five large seals - the symbol for 'combine' - that were spread around the edges of the table. "When I activate it, we will all be pulled into the memory. Our physical bodies will remain here in an unconscious state. The recommended time to stay inside is no longer than three hours, so I'll set the limit to wake us up after two and a half, but that should be plenty of time to view this scroll. Most unimportant information like travelling is cut from the recordings."

The Genin surrounded the table, nervously placing their hands where indicated.

"Good. Now are we all ready?" Kakashi asked, eye smiling.

Three nods.

"Excellent. Night night then!" And with that he channelled his Chakra into the scroll.

Kakashi felt himself slip into darkness as his mind was drawn from his body and into the memory seal.

The room fell silent. No other Ninja were allowed inside while the memory seal was active.

Slowly, Naruto's eyes opened.

His face blank, he observed each of his teammates closed eyes.

After a long minute, he turned on his heel and quietly walked past the shelves of scrolls, following the path back to the front door, and left the room.

… … … … … …

Welcome, new readers! For those who jumped across from Origins of Naruto, welcome back!

This story is a time skip from the end of Origins into the middle of canon. It is not necessary to read Origins before this as it can easily be stand-alone, however you'll probably miss the deeper connection between a few of the characters.

Anyway, to those returning, I hope this gives some more information on the very cliff-hanger end to Origins.

\- Post-reading notice. -

In this story, there is a little longer between Tsunade returning and Sasuke defecting to Sound. The Anime showed it as pretty instantaneous from Tsunade's inauguration and Sasuke leaving, but I believe that Sasuke would have waited until things calmed down to see if the new Hokage and her rule changes would bring him more 'power' before defecting.

Other than that, hope you enjoyed reading. It's in the same AU as my Origins of Naruto story, where Naru is secretly an ANBU, and focuses on the dynamics of his ANBU team.

…

Please Read and Review!


	2. A Spoonful of Sugar

The teammates who had made it inside the memory found themselves looking directly from the eyes of the ANBU.

They watched hands that weren't theirs slowly and purposefully grind the edge of a kunai to a sharp point, the metal polished to a mirror finish.

Kakashi took the chance to do a mental headcount. He felt Sakura's nervous and excited presence first. Underneath that, he identified the flat curiosity that could only be the presence of Sasuke.

He mentally frowned. What he couldn't sense however was a trace of Naruto. No excitement, no exuberance or bubbly joy that he expected.

After a brief 'feel' around, he concluded Naruto had not made it into the memory. His brighter-than-the-sun personality would not have been easy to miss. Perhaps he makes an appearance as a bystander in this memory, Kakashi mused.

Or maybe the seal just refused to draw him inside, sensing two distinct chakras in the Jinchuriki and rejected him.

He sighed internally. Hopefully his plan to create a more cohesive team from viewing this memory wasn't shot to hell with the absence of one of its' members.

Kakashi hoped to Kami that when the two and a half hours were up, Naruto wouldn't have burnt all the scrolls in the place trying to practice a juutsu or something. Or he wouldn't wake up to find his mask missing and a moustache drawn on his face.

Pushing aside his thoughts, he turned to inspect the view from his new 'eyes.'

While they were still focused on the task of sharpening Kunai, Kakashi could spot leaf litter and roots to indicate they were among trees, sitting on a branch some feet above the ground. A forest then. Perhaps even Konoha's own forest.

Kakashi was slightly relieved. He had been a little worried that the memory would have dropped them straight into a battle or similar situation, without allowing time for the Genin to get used to the sensation of seeing through someone else's' eyes.

Kakashi sighed in his head. Just a relaxing forest. No fighting or killing or other traumatizing visions just yet.

And then the eyes looked up, and locked themselves with the dark ones of the man, no, boy sitting across from him.

And then Sasuke's emotions exploded.

… … … … … …

Kakashi was sure his physical body was beading in sweat.

While the eyes they were borrowing had returned to lazily sharpening Kunai, the emotions of each member of the team were in overdrive.

When the other person had come into view, Sasuke had immediately recognized his 13 year old brother. It took all of Kakashi's concentration to attempt to mentally calm the boy as his emotions 'thrashed' wildly, projecting violent anger to the other two sharing the mindspace.

Sakura's consciousness had retracted in fear, whether over recognizing the Uchiha murderer or from Sasuke's reaction he couldn't tell.

And now they waited, each of them acutely aware of the presence of the Uchiha boy just outside their field of view. It was infinitely painful not being able to move their vision around at will.

The sight of the dangerous Uchiha sitting nonchalantly on a branch beside them was burned into their memories, and even though Kakashi knew they could not be injured in a simple memory, he silently willed their borrowed hands to grip the Kunai in a more secure and battle-ready way.

Suddenly 'their' hands stopped their movements, and their field of view shook slightly as their body gave a huff of laughter.

"Whatcha got there, Itachi? One of your admirers make that for you?" With quiet amusement, their voice spoke for the first time. It was deep, most likely an adult, and much older than the boy sitting across from them.

Their eyes looked up to see the Uchiha playing with a small piece of grass, running it between his fingertips.

Dark eyes looked down at his own hands, and as they moved, Kakashi could see the grass had actually been woven into a circle, perhaps as a bangle.

"No." Murmured the dark haired boy after a moment. "Sasuke made it for me."

Kakashi felt Sasuke's emotions twitch and begin churning again.

Sasuke himself was in shock. A memory tugged at his mind. He remembered making it for Itachi when he went to the park one day. It was nothing special, it wasn't even a neat circle, kind of a wonky oval. His brother had laughed at his frustration at the imperfect shape, but he had accepted it happily anyway.

He seethed. How dare he carry that around with him, acting as though it were important.

His hatred grew further. This is how he got away with it, he thought in anger. He pretended so well, with his keepsakes and soft words and smiles that made him seem genuine, when in fact he was plotting their murder. Like a cat appearing to relax before it strikes.

Kakashi noted Sakura seemed to have shrunk back on herself, supressing her emotions as though she was trying to make herself disappear.

Just great, he sighed. He had thought this mission would be a great team-building exercise, but now he's short a student, one is terrified, and the other is in more turmoil than ever.

And they were stuck there for over two hours. Oh, he could certainly use the failsafe to cancel the memory for them any time, but he wasn't interested at all in the screaming mass of anger that Sasuke would become if he did. He'd demand loudly and furiously to be shown the memory again.

It would be better to just ride this out.

At least he hoped.

Right now Sasuke's chakra was a broody storm, but having the object of his hatred in his sights seemed to have settled him into an angry observation state. No doubt he would be trained on Itachi's every move as he tried to spot any weakness to exploit in the future.

"More _hips_ , Anko-chan!" Came a bright, commanding voice from below.

Both the Uchiha and their own borrowed eyes dropped, bringing into focus two young - and extremely pretty - ladies beneath them on the floor.

The two young women were in stark contrast. One had a bright, happy colouring to her features, and her posture indicated an open, friendly personality

The other scowled, arms folded as she half-turned away from her partner. This, Kakashi surmised, must be Anko. The black hair that hung down like a curtain to cover her face was most likely a henge.

Or perhaps not, and Anko simply died her hair purple. Kakashi filed away that thought under 'to ask about later.'

The Anko he knew was only a Tokubetsu Jonin, but now he realized that must be a cover. If she had ever made it to ANBU, then she should have been retired to full Jonin status unless there was some other reason. He pushed the thought aside. He would also consider it at a later date.

"It's not my fault, I don't dance!" Grumped Anko.

The other girl flicked blonde hair over her shoulder, hands on hips as she replied.

"Well you're going to _have_ to. Two on stage, two in the crowds. _That's_ how we're doing it." She argued with a cute pout.

"Whatever." Anko rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you can't make Genma do it. Just get him drunk and he dances like the prettiest lady at the ball." _There_ was the sarcastic wit he was used to coming from Anko.

"Oi!" Their 'own' voice snapped without venom.

Even more interesting, Kakashi thought. He had assumed that the majority of this team would be unrecognized even by him, or a distant memory of shinobi passed on, but he recognized three of them as still alive and kicking. Unfortunately so, in Itachi's case.

However, even though he racked his brains, he couldn't place the blonde anywhere. Even discarding the hair colour as a henge, the face was still foreign to him. It was round and very cute, her huge blue eyes wide as her lips perked in a permanent pout. If he wasn't already aware that she was on an ANBU team, he would have pegged her as working in the entertainment industry. That face was too pretty to waste.

"Genma doesn't have your hips, Anko-chan. Now dance!"

The silent observers barely caught a hint of movement as the girls re-positioned themselves - one cheerfully and one grumpily, before their eyes flew back to observe the kunai in their hands once again, as though fleeing from the sight.

 _Interesting_ , Kakashi noted, watching the grip tighten on the handle of the weapon. Either this ninja - Genma, Kakashi reminded himself - was very proper - read 'prudish,' - or he had an interest in one of the two girls.

His thoughts slipped unbidden to his favourite novel before he caught himself.

Although their eyes were focused back on the weapons, the sounds from the two women - _"Not so rigid, let your arms flow with your body"_ \- made it clear they were indeed dancing.

Kakashi found himself dearly wishing Genma's eyes would turn to observe at least once, and wondered if his Sharingan could record through a memory. He could tease Anko mercilessly about this.

… … … … … … … …

Evidently nothing more of interest was to happen in this area, as they experienced their first skip in time. Their vision suddenly faded to black, and in seconds they were staring over a crowded entertainment establishment.

While certainly a more 'exotic' kind of establishment - if the artfully but barely clothed ladies on stage were anything to go by - it was definitely high class. The seats were soft leather, the patrons all in suits and drinking whiskey or scotch. Even a few women - partners or otherwise - lounged gracefully in their formal wear, something not often seen at a regular strip joint.

While Genma's eyes were fixed on a nondescript man in a brown suit four tables away, Kakashi could observe within his limited field of vision.

The waitresses were all very pretty, but held themselves in a proud manner, not the giggling and pouting ways that would be seen in a more casual establishment. The patrons were men who came to enjoy the sight of fine ladies and even finer beverages, not to simply grab and leer at anything that jiggles.

He could feel Sasuke's frustration peak as he no doubt searched for his brother, but he ignored him to focus on the mission.

In the far corner of the room - which conveniently had the best view of the whole area - Kakashi could spot the two disguised ANBU in a dance routine. Their clothes were tasteful but minimal to suit the environment, and all in all they blended in perfectly.

Kakashi was quite impressed with the confident and graceful way Anko was able to move, making it look like it was a natural routine for her.

They sat still for a few minutes, sipping from a glass offered by a waitress. While Genma's eyes weren't constantly fixed on the man in the brown suit, as an experienced Jonin he could tell he was the target. Genma was sat to view not only his table, but also the bar and the toilet if he moved, and the ninja wouldn't need to shift position to view him.

Furthermore, his eyes frequently darted back and forth between the man and anything or anyone he had come into contact with, keeping tabs on anything he had touched. Perhaps they were witnessing a drop or exchange of goods, then.

His thoughts were proven correct when a 'waitress' wandered over to him, trying to act casual.

 _Amateur_ , Kakashi thought, observing the woman. Her smile was stiff, her posture flat and slouched. This was not someone who would ever have been employed to work in such a place. She tottered in her heels, and didn't seem to care about drinks splashing. She ignored every other patron, making a straight line to the target, further singling her out as an unpractised host.

By the frumpy posture and lack of grace, Kakashi doubted this was even a woman. Most likely, it was a man under a henge.

The two exchanged words, the man with a scowl and the waitress through a clearly fake smile. After a minute, the woman handed the man a glass of whiskey and a spoon.

A normal person would have no need for a spoon with a drink, and with no food in sight, it was an unusual item for her to have given him. However, it was also a small and ordinary item, and likely nobody would consider it twice.

Kakashi, however, watched the man slip the spoon into his pocket and standing swiftly, draining his glass. The man didn't even have the tact to stay longer than a minute after the drop had occurred. Rookie tactics, really.

However, even rookies could fool watchers, and although crude by Kakashi's standards, the exchange would have passed unnoticed by lesser ninja or civilian bouncers.

Having the female ninja on stage made far more sense now. Their field of vision was wide and unobstructed; they were encouraged to linger their eyes so as to draw the patrons in. No one would suspect them of spying if they hovered on a single patron longer than would be usual.

They also had access to the back rooms, where Kakashi had watched the no doubt fake waitress sidle back to.

Such a set up wouldn't be hard - either they slip the establishment manager some coin to look the other way, or perhaps the manager was even part of requesting the mission.

Within seconds, the two disguised females completed their routine, bowing gracefully to the audience and departing casually. Or rather, appearing to depart casually, when in fact they were making a bee-line to the waitress who had orchestrated the drop.

From their position, Kakashi saw Genma rise slowly, dusting off his suit and leaving a generous tip beneath his now empty glass.

With a crack of the neck, he turned and casually strolled towards the exit, a good few metres in front of the target. It was one of the best ways to disguise the fact you were following someone - to get to the destination first.

As they walked, Genma's eyes flitted over glass cabinets, empty cups and any other reflective surface available to ensure the target was still behind him.

With a nod to the large man guarding the door, they stepped out on to the street. The sun was setting, but there was still plenty of light out, and the street was relatively full of citizens milling around after a day of shopping.

Sasuke's constant anger spiked heavily when both he and Kakashi spotted the older Uchiha across the street, bouncing a ball off the ground and back into his hand as he slouched casually against the wall. He was dressed in regular teenage civilian clothes; slack pants, a t-shirt and a scarf.

He looked for all the world like a young lad waiting for friends or family to turn up. He even made sure to bounce the ball at an odd angle every now and again so that it caused a different ricochet, forcing him to lunge to catch it before it sprung away. Too much finesse and precision in such a simple activity as bouncing a ball could draw unwanted attention.

Genma took a left and strode off down the street. Via the reflection of a shop's window, they saw their target step out and begin to walk the opposite way. Genma had taken a gamble and lost, unfortunately, but it wouldn't be long before he could double back. No doubt Itachi would take up following until he could turn around without causing suspicion.

They continued their walk for a block before turning into an alley. As soon as they were out of sight, Genma sprung forth with Ninja speed, dashing through the small and deserted alley to behind the establishment they had just left.

The two girls were already there, now far more clothed. Genma didn't even stop, simply continuing past the two. A near-silent swish indicated the pair had followed.

"If he's headed back to the west side, keep out of sight until he reaches the crossroads." A voice spoke. It was not Anko's, but definitely female, so must belong to the blonde woman. It was far more serious and commanding than the bright and bubbly instructor who had been teaching Anko to dance earlier.

And by the tone, she was in charge. _Interesting_ , Kakashi mused.

Once they reached the main street, they dropped back to civilian speed, beginning to chatter about trivial civilian matters like shop opening hours and the price of the local barbeque rising.

People passed them in the street, none the wiser as to the Ninja hidden among them. They did receive a few double glances from men at the sight of the pretty women, however.

After striding swiftly for a while, they reached another deserted set of alleys further down the main road. Again, they returned to Ninja speed, dashing up walls and swinging above obstacles as they bee-lined to the West of the city.

Reaching a set of shops closed for the day and deserted, they peeked over the top of a roof to catch a glimpse of their target.

He was alone, or rather appeared to be, as Kakashi spotted Itachi secreted away in the shadows of a balcony as he watched from afar.

The group split, jumping up across the buildings to loosely surround the target. No chance of escape and far better vision.

One final turn, and the target was in a completely window-less and deserted alleyway. Here, Anko pounced, jumping down from above to land squarely on the man's shoulders, her hand already over his mouth.

The remaining three descended on the pair, quickly pinning the man as the blonde rifled his pockets to retrieve the spoon.

Nobody spoke while she fiddled with the silverware, although the target struggled and made some muffled grunts. After a few seconds, the spoon popped to reveal a scroll covered in a complex sealing matrix.

The target began to bead in sweat as he stared at the woman studying the parchment.

"Yep," the blonde suddenly declared, tossing the scroll upwards and catching it in her palm. "This is what we were after. I almost didn't think it would be when we saw it was being entrusted to you. I've never met a more predictable man in my life."

She pocketed the scroll.

"Alright, so what do you know about this rebel force. They've stolen some pretty sensitive information from Konoha, so we want names. You better hope you have something to tell us, because the guy who gave you this scroll sure didn't and let's just say that didn't impress me." She declared flatly.

Anko moved her hand, allowing the man to speak.

"I don't know anything!" He burst out immediately, eyes wide. "I just pick up what they ask me to and send it along on my trade routes, I just move it around I swear!"

The blonde sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Right, sure then. Well where are you sending these, how do they communicate with you to let you know of a drop. Come on, if you weren't at least slightly important they wouldn't be bothering involving you at all." She made a gesture and the two Ninja holding him down tightened their grips threateningly.

"I-I see the sign from outside my house! They change it to blue when I need to pick something up, I head to the club at six and they hand it to me, that's all! I only talk to that one woman, she gives me the things and a number. Each number means a different trade route and I just send it along on the next shipment. I don't know what happens then I swear!" The man was white as a sheet, eyes darting around hoping to spot something or someone to save him.

Again, the blonde sighed.

"Alright then. Genma, come with me to find this shop where the signal is being sent from. 'Tachi, stay here and help Anko double check this guys' answers."

The captive wasn't the only one to shiver as Anko drew a kunai seemingly from nowhere, grinning in glee.

Thankfully, the vision faded to black before the screams could begin.

… … … … … … … … … … …

"It appears they were almost as sloppy as our friend was." Genma's voice floated in before their vision had even returned.

They were standing in a dark and empty clothes shop, holding a handful of papers.

"Sure looks like it. We even have names." The blonde pursed her lips as she inspected the documents in her hands.

"Nobody big, though. We even knew about a few. We'll still have to find out who Jonin ranked sleeper agents are, but now that we know who to question I'm sure Ibiki will make quick work of it."

The blonde looked up into their eyes and smiled brightly.

With a silent pop, she disappeared. Or rather, half of her did.

Genma dropped his eyes down to meet the if possible even larger blue ones of the now miniature blonde.

"Mission complete!" Said the woman-turned-child brightly. "Let's go home, Genma-kun."

Kakashi was sure his visible body had stopped breathing in shock.

The blonde was no adult. She wasn't even a woman.

Suddenly, it clicked.

That bright, sunshine hair.

That unique shade of blue.

Those distinctive whisker marks on each cheek.

Kakashi tried to deny it, tried to reach another conclusion, but there was no doubt.

The boy in front of them was Uzumaki Naruto.


	3. Team 4

In a rush, the room around them came into focus. Kakashi's limbs were prickly with pins and needles, but otherwise it was a small matter to adjust to being able to move around at will once again.

He was acutely aware of Naruto's absence, and he was sure the other two Genin were too.

Or perhaps Sasuke wasn't. The boy's face was stormy, fists clenched as he stared into space. Sakura's eyes flitted back and forth between her teammate and Sensei, looking very uncertain and quite worried, eyeing Sasuke as one would a ticking bomb.

Kakashi turned to the frozen pink-haired girl.

"Sakura, I think it's best if you took the rest of the day off, alright?" Kakashi forced an eye smile.

The girl blink, nodding once. She forced herself to unfreeze and turned to leave, brushing a comforting hand over Sasuke's shoulder as she walked towards the door.

Sasuke didn't react, even when the click of the door closing reached their ears.

Internally, Kakashi debated what to do. He could practically hear the gears grinding in Sasuke's mind as he tried to process what he had seen.

If this had just been a matter of seeing his brother again, Kakashi was sure he could have placated the boy. Perhaps taken him out to train and blow off steam. But seeing Naruto, and the implications of what his presence meant, Kakashi wasn't sure if he'd be able resolve this quietly.

The Copy Nin himself was also reeling. While he certainly knew the young Uchiha was an ANBU - no doubt thanks to some prideful Uchiha elders with loose lips - He had never personally worked with Itachi while in the group. As with most teams, identities were kept secret, even from other ANBU.

Having not seen any masks in this memory - as it was an undercover mission that did not require them - he couldn't be sure of what mask Naruto wore.

That meant that he could have conceivably teamed up with the young Uzumaki on a mission, and didn't even know it.

The thought brought shame to Kakashi. Here he was preaching about 'underneath the underneath,' and yet he hadn't even noticed a whiff of anything that would indicate Naruto was anything but an average - or below average - genin.

No unexplained reflexes, no reveal of suspicious power or techniques. No spouting knowledge he should have known.

He was either dealing with a case of memory loss or sealing, or a very, _very_ controlled ninja.

He shivered, and hoped dearly that the latter wasn't the case. If a child had avoided any detection, even from his Sharingan eye… The boy was above prodigious.

Finally, Sasuke broke the silence.

"What was the date on this mission, Sensei." Sasuke spoke slowly.

Kakashi knew what he was asking.

"Three weeks before the massacre." He internally crossed his fingers that the explosion wouldn't be too loud.

"So… Itachi was loyal to Konoha, _three weeks_ before..." His fists clenched, jaw grit.

Black eyes flitted back and forth as he debated internally.

"Show me more." He spat out. "Of him." He clarified after a second.

The Copy Nin paused. Technically, he knew there were files of Itachi's team that were not restricted and he had access to. Certainly, they were highly ranked, but not more so than the one they had already viewed…

"Show me!" The Uchiha snapped, glaring at Kakashi as though he could sense his reluctance.

Kakashi wanted to pretend that his acceptance wasn't in any way due to his own personal interest in finding out more about his blonde student.

And so three minutes later, the two stood over the table, ready to enter the small stack of memory scrolls the two had collected.

Sasuke stared flatly at Kakashi has he prepared the scroll, placing his hand impatiently on the memory circle.

With a nod, Kakashi sent them both inside in a swirl of blackness.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The memory was far shorter than the first one.

Three black blurs descended on a startled ninja with a slashed mist headband, a fourth jumping down and slashing the ninja's throat.

Before the corpse even hit the floor, the memory began to swirl to blackness.

Kakashi barely had a second to glimpse a bone-white depiction of an owl.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The next was barely longer.

This time they had a full view of the other three members of the team. An Owl, a Fox, and a Weasel.

Kakashi was pretty certain that Weasel was Itachi, based on the rumors. Fox - Kakashi almost face palmed in embarrassment - was more likely than not Naruto.

Based on the swords barely visible on Owl's body, they were very likely Genma.

That meant they were Anko, in whatever mask she was wearing.

The group swiftly descended on a startled team of missing-nin from Grass, if their headbands were correct.

With a quiet _sching_ of metal, the memory started to darken, the gasping face of a young ex-Grass nin fading slowly.

… …. … … … … … … …

The Anbu team were far more relaxed in this vision.

More importantly, their faces were almost all uncovered.

The elder Uchiha sat in a tree, propped up against the tree trunk.

Lying head-in-lap, a tiny Naruto lay, eyes transfixed as he stared at the sky. Itachi's finger's carded absently through blonde locks.

A branch below, Snake - a fitting mask for Anko, Kakashi decided - was crouched, fiddling with a handful of senbon.

"What did we get, Owl?" Spoke up the blonde, not moving his eyes from the dark sky.

Their eyes drifted downwards to view a handful of scrolls.

"Summoning contract, handful of gems and glittery shit, title to some land. Most of it is pretty much material wealth except for the contract." Their vision rose and fell as Genma shrugged.

"What animal?" Snake cocked her head.

"Salamander." Their head nodded in appreciation.

"Interesting. Haven't heard about that one before." Snake returned to fiddling with her weapons.

The memory flashed and they were stood in front of a well-dressed man on a moderately expensive looking throne.

"Thank you, brave Ninja! Your services are much appreciated." The man grinned down at the group, but his smile was hollow. "You are free to take from the bounty what you wish."

The group bowed respectfully, and in front of them, the Fox mask spoke.

"Very kind, Shin-Sama. We freely give the jewels and title deeds to you, and ask only to retain the summoning contract."

The man's hand was already waving dismissively before Fox had finished speaking.

"Not a problem at all, we have no Ninja's ourselves to use it anyway. Again, thank you for your services, and should we require them again we shall certainly request your team personally.

With a final bow, the blackness returned.

… … … … …. … … … …

And so it went on. They viewed memories from all perspectives of the teammates. Some were proof of death, others held information of interest to Konoha.

Each one gave a glimpse into the inner workings of the Anbu team and their members.

Anko showed precision and professionalism that Kakashi wouldn't have expected from her. Although there were certainly some very Anko-esque moments that they were privy to, which included but was not limited to seeing a man pinned to a tree by two senbon through his ears.

Genma was a ninja that flew under the radar, but now viewing his participation in missions, Kakashi could see a finesse and power with a blade that he hadn't expected from the man. He wielded the blade expertly, effortlessly using it as an extension of himself.

Itachi was actually quite uninteresting in most respects. He used standard Uchiha techniques, and while very powerful, there was not much noteworthy that wasn't already known of the Uchiha. Kakashi could still feel Sasuke's full attention fixed on him whenever he was in sight.

The person that Kakashi was paying the most interest to was Fox - or as he was still coming to terms with - Naruto.

A lot of the time was spent viewing a 6 foot ninja covered in standard ANBU shroud, giving out orders in a clipped and precise tone. It came to a shock to Kakashi when he realized that it was Naruto, the tiny sunshine-blonde boy, that the rest deferred to.

On the occasions where masks and cloaks were off, Kakashi could glimpse the personality of the boy he knew - or thought he knew. Albeit watered down, Kakashi saw the sparkle of humour in wide blue eyes as he joked with his teammates, even playing a few pranks here and there that often involved Genma covered in soup.

There was certainly a parallel between the Naruto he knew and the Naruto they were viewing, although the older seemed to have devolved in personality and intelligence.

This made Kakashi burn with curiosity. Even when seated and relaxed, this small child was always alert, head flipping to the side to listen for strange sounds, and eyes constantly darting. He even moved like a seasoned Ninja, nothing like the clumsy gait that their Naruto possessed.

Had something happened to the blonde before becoming part of Team 7? A memory seal, perhaps? Or had the boy somehow, impossibly, shoved down and hidden all of his natural talent, all of his deeply ingrained instincts, for all this time?

It seemed almost impossible, Kakashi mused as this memory faded.

… … … …. … … … … … … … …

The last memory was the highest ranked. It was only just within Kakashi's clearance level, and as such he had kept it to last in case the lower ranked ones were too much.

It was night, and they appeared to be mid-way into a shallow river. Just below their vision, Kakashi could make out a mop of yellow hair.

"Ne, Itachi." The mop of hair began conversationally.

Their eyes flicked down to meet half-lidded blue. Kakashi stuttered in surprise. Even in the pale moonlight, the child looked awful. There was a green tinge to his skin, and although he floated in the water, he was certain that was a sheen of sweat on his brow.

"How are you going with the council. Are you alright?"

In Itachi's body, they paused.

"What do you mean?" Came the reply from their mouth, a little _too_ casually.

Naruto swirled in the water to face him.

"It wasn't hard to find out, 'Tachi." He said softly, eyes not leaving the Uchiha's face. "Almost every ninja knows the discord growing in the Uchiha clan. It didn't take too many trips to Jiji's office to work out the Council are working on a 'solution.'" He gave Itachi a pitying look, and their eyes flicked away and to the side as if they couldn't bear to look at him.

After a deep breath, they spoke again.

"They want everyone _gone_ , Naruto." The teenager's voice sounded pained. "The whole clan. Even the children. They don't want them growing up to try and avenge the clan."

A small hand covered their fist, and Kakashi saw small, teenage hands grip the even smaller childs'. He noted the almost translucent skin with green veins before their vision was brought back to Naruto's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Itachi. I could try and help, but…" The blondes' eyes slid away, and Kakashi could see the uncertainty and helplessness in his eyes. Naruto had always had very expressive eyes.

"They're still negotiating the finer points." Itachi admitted tersely. "But at the moment…" He petered off.

"…it looks like you'll be the last Uchiha in Konoha." Murmered Naruto sadly.

Their head twitched.

"Not quite." He said curtly.

Confused eyes snapped back to theirs, and blonde hair dripped with water as the boy raised his head up.

"What do you mean?" He frowned.

Itachi looked away again, staring off into the trees on the other side of the lake.

"They want me to act as though I have killed the clan for my own reason, and then leave Konoha as a missing nin. They want me to then infiltrate the terrorist organization, Akatsuiki."

Their eyes closed as Naruto leapt from the water, showering him in droplets.

"What?!" The small boy exploded, and Itachi opened his eyes to reveal a mouth open in a perfect O of shock.

"They can't do that! No! I won't let you- you - after all that you've _done_. Those bastards!"

They watched the young boy glower briefly.

"Language," He chided. "Or do I need to separate you from Anko."

Naruto froze, blinking at his words. Then he deflated, anger giving way to shock.

The dazed boy sat on top of the water surface using Chakra, blinking at the Uchiha for a good few minutes.

Itachi finally reached out to pull the boy closer to him.

"That's why I haven't agreed, you know." Itachi's voice spoke up.

"Wha-?" The small boy finally blinked the shock away from his eyes as he looked up at them in confusion.

Itachi rested his chin on sopping blonde locks.

"This. Your reaction. I knew that when you found out, you'd tear into the Council room like the little blonde devil you are and enact some divine retribution in my name."

Naruto clucked emptily.

"Of course I would! I'd go in there, with Genma's sword, and I'd flash the Kyuubi's chakra around, making them all terrified, and then I'd demand that they shout from the rooftops your innocence for the whole village to hear, and then I'd gut them, and make them eat their own organs-"

Itachi's head twitched, appearing to cringe. The blonde continued his rant, detailing all the torture he would enact upon the Council.

"- with a hammer and four fish sticks!"

Itachi's laughter faded with the memory.

… … … … … … …

 _No need to make dinner tonight._ Kakashi thought facetiously. _I've just opened up a fresh, huge can of worms._

They were back in the memory library. As soon as feeling had returned to him, Kakashi had frozen, unsure of what he would be facing.

It appeared the Uchiha needed some time to recover. He stood stock-still, hand still clenched on the memory plate.

Kakashi didn't move, although he did dearly wish to back away slowly, like one would if they had walked into a cave with a sleeping bear.

After a full three minutes of no response or twitch from the Uchiha, Kakashi moved his hand slowly from the plate.

Like a bird of prey, black eyes snapped to him. Kakashi could see the turmoil reflected in his eyes, his mouth twitching as it curled into a snarl.

"Show me the massacre." Sasuke's voice was flat and hollow, his Uchiha eyes glaring into Kakashi's single visible one.

"Sasuke, you won't be able to see the memory… if you appear in it you won't be allowed inside-" Kakashi began.

"How about you read a fucking report once in a while!" Sasuke exploded in anger. "I wasn't _in_ the Uchiha Compound until right at the end. There's got to be one Kami-damned memory that shows at least a little of it happening. I need the truth!" He screamed, tears sparkling in his eyes.

Kakashi felt for the boy, he really did. But he wholeheartedly believed that going through that whole experience again would only further damage the boy. He'd allowed the boy to view these last memories, but he couldn't… not this one.

"Sasuke, I didn't know anything about this, I promise you. As far as I knew, Itachi was the murderer of your whole clan, with no ulterior motives. I wouldn't know where to start to look for a memory related to it in this place" he gestured to the vast room. "Also, something so classified would require the highest level of clearance to view, which you don't have."

"He has clearance now." Came a voice from directly behind Kakashi.

He was sure if he were a lesser ninja, Kakashi would have jumped. As it was, he just managed to keep his hands from twitching towards his weapons pouch.

"YOU! Get away from me! You're worse than Itachi, a god damn liar! You pretended to be a loser, but every time we fought you were just holding back. You are such a fake! All you did was make a fool out of yourself in the academy and on missions, what did that accomplish? You've been holding me back! And this whole time you knew, you knew about the massacre and you could have stopped it!" The Uchiha's eyes flashed with his Sharingan, cloudy with unshed tears.

The Uchiha took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing his verbal assault.

"You were on his team, you could have stopped… you could have _helped_ them." Sasuke wrenched his gaze away. "You could have helped me." He muttered almost too softly to hear.

Strong hands the same size as Sasuke's own gripped his wrists firmly but gently.

"I practically raised you, Saki-chan." He said softly

If Naruto hadn't been holding his hands, he would have fallen over in his haste to step back, eyes wide.

After the clan had been destroyed, he had been set up with his own small apartment, away from the horrible clan compound. As a small child, he had been appointed a minder, a smiling red-headed teenager who he called Taki-san. Traumatised though he was, young Sasuke had grown to begrudgingly enjoy the mans' company on his daily visits to make sure he was eating well and to help around the house.

The man was always cheerful, telling stories that had even the sullen little boy listening to intently. He chattered away even on the days Sasuke hadn't wanted to talk at all.

Yet he never became annoying. The Uchiha didn't know if it was because he was grateful for his help, or if perhaps it was that he recognized it wasn't all just smiles and cheer going on in the older boys' head. Occasionally the older boy would stare into space, and Sasuke would catch a hooded look to his eyes that hinted at inner darkness. He stopped coming around once Sasuke hit 10, and was perfectly capable of looking after himself.

And he was the only one who ever called him 'Saki-chan.'

"Kami damn it!" Sasuke's cheeks flushed, covering up any embarrassment as his anger returned full force.

"Did that make you feel better, did it?! Coming and doing some cooking for the little orphan make up for not being able to stop everyone in his clan being murdered?!" Sasuke pulled his wrists from Naruto's hands, stepping back with a fierce glare.

Naruto's face twisted into an expression of anger that Kakashi had never seen before on the boy.

"It's not all about you!" Naruto snapped, a lash of KI flickering over the group. It was the first time the boy had shown any other emotion besides patience to the group.

"Itachi was my best friend! The whole team was! I spent six years of my life pretending I didn't remember them. It was _your_ clan that drove us to this! If they hadn't been so greedy, I wouldn't have wasted these last years of my life, knowing that my teammates were suffering. You would have a family, and Konoha would still have a powerful clan in its ranks.

"But that wasn't how it worked out. Your clan _was_ greedy, and this situation _had_ to happen, or else innocent civilians and many of our ninja would have been killed. But that wasn't all. I gave up a successful career of assisting Konoha to keep you safe. And It was all because your brother _loved_ you. If he hadn't fought tooth and nail to keep you alive, then you wouldn't be here, and I would still be in ANBU."

Naruto took a deep breath

"It wasn't enough that he was going to have to slaughter the people he saw every day, had watched grow up, fought alongside. It wasn't enough that he was going to be branded a traitor to the village he loved, and spend years risking his life living amongst the worst missing nin in all the Nations. That all wasn't enough for whatever Kami there is, because that wonderful, selfless ninja, he had to save you, even though it meant making you believe that you meant nothing to him, when that was so _wrong_."

Naruto's lips lost the feral twist as he calmed himself down, neutral expression back in place.

His blue eyes flickered to Kakashi, who hadn't moved the whole conversation.

"He needs to know." Naruto said. Seemingly from nowhere, the young blonde Ninja produced three memory scrolls, and handed them to the still slightly stunned Kakashi.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some explaining to do to some Ninja that hopefully won't hate me."

The boy spun on his heel and melted into the shadows cast by the shelves.

… …. … … … … … … …

Hey all, thanks for the lovely reviews, keep them coming!

Sorry about the delay, I intended to get another chapter out last weekend but I was switching jobs and it got a bit hectic. Anyway, to make up for it, I will post one today and another by the end of Sunday.

Also, I've just posted a new story, that I will be updating at the same time. It's called 'Proving Them Wrong,' and it's basically a story about Naruto using his transformation skills to fool pretty much all the Rookie 9 and their teachers to save lives.

Minor Sasuke/Sakura bashing, but nothing major. It's not going to be too long either, just a little palate cleanser that explores the dynamic between the rookies and their sensei. Certainly won't be as heavy as this one.

Anyway, hope you're liking this story so far, let me know what you think!


	4. The Massacre

The first memory swirled into existence.

They were inside Konoha's Council of Elders. Sasuke probably wouldn't recognize the place, but the fire symbols emblazoned on all four walls, and the presence of the Hokage would surely give some idea.

Seated at the long table on either side of the Hokage were the two elders and the Hokage's ex-teammates, Homura and Koharu.

On the left, beside Homura was someone Kakashi recognized with a shiver. Shimura Danzo.

On the right, beside Koharu was an elder that Kakashi recognized as already passed on.

Besides the small group, the table was empty, the seats usually occupied by members of the civilian and ninja council bare.

The body they were occupying was standing across from the council, unmoving as the group murmured quietly.

After a few seconds, they drew back and the Hokage spoke.

"This is indeed grave news, Itachi-kun." He began sombrely, and Kakashi felt Sasuke's emotions jump. "I take it there has been no success to dissuade your father or the Uchiha on this course of action?"

A slight tilt of the head came as confirmation.

"No, Hokage-sama. I regret that even providing the increased power and support for the Uchiha police has done little to improve the relationship between my clan and the rest of Konoha. They still intend to go ahead with the Coup, although at this time I am unsure as to when they will act." Their voice was young and flat.

Kakashi felt Sasuke's emotions leap, almost a roar as they flew from angry to confused as he processed what had just been implied.

The Hokage sighed deeply.

"This is most unfortunate, Itachi-kun. We will have to look into our options to protect the majority of our village." The Hokage laced his fingers under his chin. "In your opinion, Itachi-kun, how do you believe your father would react if we called him in and confronted him on their plans?"

Itachi remained silent for a minute.

"I believe the Uchiha Council is too far gone in this plan, and even if you were able to persuade my father to stand down, there is no saying whether the Council will simply overrule him. There are many Uchiha who believe that the coup is the only way to achieve the standing that they wish for."

Hiruzen nodded, leaning back in his chair.

"Very well, Itachi-kun. We appreciate your continued assistance. You are doing Konoha a great service." The Hokage nodded in respect, their eyes dropping to the floor as Itachi bowed back.

They turned to leave, but before reaching the door, Danzo called out to him.

"If we are unable to reach another solution, Uchiha-san, we will have to look at some of our previously discussed options." Danzo's eyes were empty and flat as they bored into their own.

This time, Itachi's bow was far more stiff.

… … … … … … … … …

The next memory, they found themselves in quite a familiar setting. The Hokage's office had not changed much during the reign of the Third.

What was quite unfamiliar to them was the angle they were viewing the office from. They were seated in the Hokage's chair.

"You want to do what, Naruto-kun?" They heard rather than saw the pipe clatter to the desk as they eyed the young boy in front of them.

The child, no older than 7, looked gaunt, pale and sickly. Kakashi could detect a slight tremor as he stood.

"It will work, Jiji!" Naruto burst out. "Itachi told me himself that there are only two things stopping him from going ahead with the plan; me and his little brother! If I'm out of the picture, if he believes I know longer know him, and he believes all ties with me lost, then all he has left is Sasuke. And I'm sure it will be a simple matter for Itachi to sweet talk the idea of a single, remaining Uchiha to become the pet project of the council, thus allowing him to live.

Naruto began to pace, small legs carrying him across the room with quick steps.

"No one knows I'm awake yet. Just have a medic nin look me over and diagnose amnesia!" His tiny jaw clenched, stubbornly set.

The memories' host was silent. After a long pause, he spoke again.

"That will condemn young Sasuke to the life of an Orphan, alone and clan-less. The fact that he will also likely possess a coveted Dojutsu will also certainly create a target on his back from those inside the village and out."

"It's better than being _dead_." Was the flat reply.

The elderly Hokage sighed.

"Naruto, I understand that your intellect and maturity is well beyond the years of even some of my Jonin, but we can't expect a young, sheltered boy like Sasuke to adapt as well when his support is ripped away."

Naruto shook his head, his gold locks swinging back and forth.

"That's the second part, Jiji. Look, my memories will be 'completely gone,' remember? I won't remember ANBU, or that I am anything but little kid. There aren't many who know my identity as an ANBU, but those that do won't think twice of the blank-slate Uzumaki Naruto joining the academy alongside Sasuke. There I can watch him, make sure he stays sane and do my best to have him grow up as well adjusted as he can."

Their vision rose and fell sharply, as the Hokage took a deep breath.

"Naruto, this plan results in our village losing two of our best Ninja, I simply can't have you wasting away in the academy." The Hokage's voice was tight and level, something that would make most ninja back down and reconsider their position.

But not the little blonde Ninja. He simply shook his head in exasperation.

"You're _going_ to lose Itachi either way. The Uchiha clan is going to be destroyed. They are too far deep into the planning of this coup, and nothing will make them back down now, not even Shisui's eyes. We have the chance to save what is most likely the last loyal Uchiha, as well as gain valuable insider information on a very dangerous Nin group. If Itachi does refuse, which he is currently leaning towards, then the Council will order him killed too! Even if he escapes, likely with at least Sasuke, he'll be branded a missing nin and spend the rest of his life waiting to be killed by ninja from his own village. And then Sasuke will be out in the world, unprotected as he would be in a village. Eventually, they'd both have to go into deep cover or die. Then every last Uchiha will be gone."

Their eyes tracked the blonde boy as he resumed pacing. He spoke again, this time much softer, with a gentle frown on his lips.

"I've seen him, Jiji. He's just wandering around, waiting for his next mission to start. He barely even smiles for Sasuke anymore. Either he celebrates my successful recovery, and is swiftly murdered shortly after. Or, he grieves my loss, but survives, and continues to do what he does best: serving Konoha."

The Hokage remained silent.

"As for me, put me on internal detail during my down time. At least I can help protect the village in some small way when the Academy is out. Or even during. I can send a shadow clone or something, no little kid is going to be able to hit me."

There was a long, tense pause between the two. Naruto's eyes bored into their own, almost begging him to see the logic behind his words.

Finally, the Hokage sighed, long and deep.

"A very detailed analysis of the situation we find ourselves in, Naruto-kun. And I cannot fault it. Very well, I will play along with this. This shall be kept between you and I only. I hope you know, however, that this will hurt _all_ of your teammates."

And through the Hokage's eyes they could see clouded blue eyes and a brave face. They knew it would hurt the young blonde boy deeply too.

… … … … … … … … … …

The first thing they saw as the memory fog cleared was the large Uchiha District gates. The sky was dark, the moon and stars shuttered by clouds.

Swiftly, the body they possessed scaled the district wall, unseen and unheard.

With a gentle puff of dust, they landed in a strange crouch on the other side of the wall, wasting no time melding into the shadows of the buildings.

A smooth leap and they were pressed against the second storey of a building, still in an awkward crouch.

There was no movement from the body they possessed for a solid minute, before suddenly their eyes snapped to land on a lone figure making its way up the road.

Sasuke's emotions were like the eye of a storm, twisting and turning yet he forced it down as he watched in morbid fascination.

Itachi Uchiha's face was blank as he stepped silently along the path. Their eyes tracked his travel, but made no other movement until he had rounded a corner.

Their body immediately sprang into action, quick and silent steps following along above as they followed the Uchiha.

Out the corner of his eye, Kakashi noted the feet that flickered in and out of his field of vision were abnormally tiny.

With a jolt, Kakashi realized why.

They were _Naruto_.

The ninja who's eyes they were borrowing wasn't crouching, he was extremely short. A child.

The Copy Nin watched with great admiration as they navigated the clan compound, using shadows to hide as effectively as any Nara. His small stature was a great boon as they folded effortlessly into nooks and crannies.

Through his eyes, he watched the boy weave, and realized not only was he working to conceal himself, but he was actively dodging and weaving. No doubt it was a precaution against any prying Sharingan that were in the area.

And Itachi never knew that his friend stood less than twenty yards away, offering silent support for the Uchiha as he did the unthinkable.

Kakashi only half-listened to the sounds of quiet combat - a _sching_ of blade here, gentle thumps hitting the ground.

The Uchiha weaved through the village, heading straight into businesses and houses as though he had intensely studied the habits of everyone and knew where they would be.

As they rounded the corner, the sight of the clan head's house came into view.

Through Naruto's eyes, Kakashi watched as Itachi paused, before beginning to stride towards it with resignation.

… … … … …. … …. … … … …

The memory cut off there.

Sasuke fell weakly to his knees.

It had been a lie. All a lie. The deaths Itachi had showed him that fateful night using his Sharingan had indeed happened, but not in the way he had shown him.

He hadn't shown him the tears that glistened on his cheeks as he cut them down one by one. Or the way that he tenderly lay each victim down with respect and dignity.

He hadn't shown him his father's furious purple face, as he screamed at Itachi for betraying their Clan, using his final breath to loudly proclaim that their clan could have been _great_ again if he had just done what he was told…

He _wouldn't_ believe it.

Above him, Kakashi hovered awkwardly. He knew his team was an emotional bunch; he was no stranger to angry outbursts from them all, and Sakura and Naruto often teared up.

But Sasuke… he was always the far quieter one. Internally angry. Kakashi could relate to that on a level he would rather not be able to.

It was why he felt most comfortable around Sasuke. The boy mirrored his own position on his genin team, as well as his personality.

He didn't know how to deal with the boy sobbing silently on the floor.

If it was Sakura, he would place a comforting arm around her shoulders. If it was Naruto, he would simply offer a few words of encouragement and mention Ramen a few times until he cheered up.

So, for now, he hovered with uncertainty.

Before he had to reach a decision, a small figure stepped from the shadows. Naruto was back.

The boy ignored Kakashi completely, stepping lightly over to the sobbing boy and smoothly sliding into a cross-legged position in front of him.

He reached out and grasped the Uchiha's free hand, holding it between his own.

Kakashi waited for the explosion, but it appeared the boy was too far lost in his grief. The contact only brought a fresh wave of tears.

They remained like that for some time; Kakashi hovering and Naruto providing silent comfort.

Finally, as Sasuke's tears dried up, the pair stood and headed out of the room

… … …. … … … … …. … ….

They were still holding hands.

Sasuke's fist was clenched almost painfully tight around the blonde's, almost as if he believed he would fall if he let go.

Naruto paid no mind, a small smile on his face as he led Sasuke through the now dark streets.

It was odd. Not only because Uchiha Sasuke was willingly holding hands with anyone - a boy no less - but the appearance of the two was unusual also.

They gave off the air of a child and guardian. Sasuke was shrunk back on himself, eyes still red with tears. He kept his head down as he walked, almost listless.

Naruto, in contrast, had his chin up proudly. His bearing radiated power and control that usually only came from decades on the earth.

He guided Sasuke with light touches, not pitying or impatient.

With a pang, Kakashi realized that had it been up to him, the Uchiha would likely still be on the floor crying.

… … … … …. …. .. ….

Sasuke himself was in a daze.

Everything was numb, which probably explained why didn't give a damn that he was holding hands with Naruto.

In truth, the Uchiha recognized that the comfort was actually one of the only things that was keeping him upright.

He had cried and cried - in front of people, no less - and he felt none of the embarrassment or anger he would usually feel.

Kakashi was a neutral party. He was his teacher, and would be able to understand his pain to some extent at least.

But it was Naruto who actually comforted him.

He had sat down beside him, not attempted to hug or console him with words. He had simply sat there and showed him he was there if he needed him.

After some time on the floor, Sasuke had felt anger blossom in his chest and had turned to glare at the boy in front of him.

As soon as his Uchiha eyes met blue, however, he deflated completely. They weren't the usual eyes of the Dobe. They were flat and deep, understanding and sympathy shining in them.

And most importantly, they held no pity.

Uchiha Sasuke hated pity. He got it all the time - from the women who crooned over him as an orphaned boy, to the store keepers that tried to offer him discounts. He didn't need or want pity. He just wanted someone to look at him as an equal, to offer him support without treating him like he was fragile.

Naruto - the _fake_ Naruto, he remembered - was like that. He looked at Sasuke as a rival, an equal.

Yet here he was, obviously more powerful than Sasuke had ever believed was possible of the boy. His eyes showed experience, and his movements were as graceful as any seasoned ninja. Yet every fibre of the blonde haired boy was focused on him. The way he moved protected Sasuke from any prying eyes. His blue orbs flicked over to him regularly to check the Uchiha wasn't struggling.

Naruto was protecting him, but not coddling him.

When Sasuke looked at this changed Naruto, he felt small. It felt like he was a child with his patient, wizened grandfather.

And even with his strength and maturity, he still looked at him as an equal. Sasuke clung to that.

It was… a great feeling.

He was allowing Sasuke a reprieve to grieve, guide him along while he was still in shock.

But as they neared the Hokage tower, Sasuke knew he was going to have to face what he saw very soon.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Finally, some answers have been offered to all the questions I have been receiving. :) Yes, Naruto did remember. As you can see, it was all a ruse to get Itachi to go ahead with the plan and save himself and Sasuke.

Had some difficulty writing the aftermath, though. I was trying to convey Sasuke's tumultuous thought process after witnessing this revelation, and at the same time define the character of ANBU Naruto.

I had to delete a few unnecessary paragraphs because I got way too into explaining Naruto's bearing and protectiveness etc, but hopefully it still came across and it was a believable OOC moment for Sasuke. I'm chalking up his acceptance of Naruto's help to his shock of the Massacre secrets and his understanding of Naruto's change.

Tell me what you think!


	5. Interlude: Tsunade's Reveal

The 5th Hokage didn't even glance up from her paperwork when she felt the flare of an ANBU reporting in.

With a flourish, she signed the form in front of her before glancing up, pushing down a sour look at the interruption. She was already so far behind with the damn paperwork without another interruption.

"Report." She ordered curtly.

The Fox masked ANBU stepped forward, bowing. He was a member she saw regularly, assigned to local work only, as ordered by the Third. Perhaps he had a family he needed to stay close for, or a medical ailment that required constant treatment. She didn't know, and it wasn't her place to ask.

Contrary to regular belief, the identities of most ANBU weren't revealed to the Hokage. Certainly, they played a key role in the selection and approval of new ANBU, and it wouldn't be difficult to deduce who was under a mask when they could see a detailed list of their skills, but they weren't handed information to match a mask to a name. Only a select few heads of ANBU were given all the specific information.

"Hokage-Sama," He spoke with the same generic clipped tone of all ANBU. "We need to talk."

A frown wrinkled her brow. How very forward of him to speak.

"Yes?" She blinked impatiently.

The ANBU did not reply, instead reaching for his mask and slowly removing it.

Her heart stuttered to a halt as sunny hair flopped into sight. Suddenly, the man - no, boy - in front of her was two feet shorter, and wide blue eyes stared up at her.

She gaped, blinking rapidly before recovering.

"Naruto!" She rose from her chair in anger. "Impersonating a rank other than your own is a punishable offense!"

She expected a cheeky, bashful grin and a loud laugh. Instead, all she got was a grim smile.

"I know, Baa-chan." He nodded tersely. He withdrew from his black cloak a scroll, which he handed to her.

"All the details are in there." He reached an arm up to scratch the back of his head. "Well, probably not _all_ the details, but it'll explain most of it."

She blinked down at him in silence for a few seconds before reluctantly tugging the scroll open.

As she read, her face grew pale, her jaw slack.

"W-what! Is this- are you serious?!" She sputtered upon reaching the end a minute later.

The boy shrugged helplessly in affirmation.

Tsunade stared down at the information in the scroll again, looking for a trace of forgery or another explanation.

Naruto was an ANBU? Instated years ago? Had been on a long-term undercover mission? It seemed like one of Naruto's complex pranks, but she could see no spelling or wording errors to indicate the boy had created the scroll, and she had already flared the official Hokage seal at the bottom to verify it was real. Twice.

She sank back into her chair, exhausted.

"Explain." She ordered, covering her eyes with her hands.

Naruto began.

… … … … … … … …. … … …

It was a tale both astounding and hilarious. Who knew her old teacher was still able to one-up the council right under their noses.

It was several hours later, and Naruto had been speaking for almost all of it. He had explained how he received secret training, eventually being assigned to an ANBU team and inexplicably being instated as captain. He detailed a few of the more interesting missions, and explained who his teammates were.

He told her about the Uchiha massacre - something she did have some knowledge about - as well as his connection to Itachi.

She heard about his final mission on his ANBU team that had gone terribly wrong, and how he had devised a plan with the Third to use it to their advantage.

"So, yeah that's basically it." He fidgeted in his seat, glancing away from her.

Tsunade sat silently for some time, appraising the boy in front of her.

He was definitely still the same brat that had convinced her to come back to the village, that was for certain. She was relieved that it hadn't all been an act, and by the expression in his eyes he was in fact just as passionate and personable as he had seemed.

However, she could now also see the skill he had been carefully hiding before. His right arm rested deceptively relaxed on his thigh, but in prime position to reach his kunai pouch in a second. His head was tilted in a casual manner, but in such a way that he could hear any movement and potential eavesdroppers from outside the window.

His posture was loose and ready, his feet ready to flex and bring him to stand in a second. Everything about him spoke of a trained combat specialist.

Lastly, his eyes. They were bright with emotion, but shone even brighter with intelligence, something that the _old_ Naruto never displayed.

And as shocking and unbelievable this all sounded, she couldn't not believe him.

She gave a huge sigh, palming the spot she usually kept her Sake. Damn Shizune for hiding it from her.

"I take it that something went wrong with the memory mission I gave you today." She swiped a hand down her face. "Damn your team, they've been nothing but trouble since I got here. Having to please the Uchiha brat, trying to get Kakashi to turn up to Jonin meetings on time, trying to deal with… you and your loudness."

He laughed brightly, a tinkling, clear sound, very different to his usual guttural bark.

"Sorry, Baa-chan. We're a difficult bunch." He smiled lop-sidedly.

Tsunade rolled her eyes in a huff.

"Alright, what do we have to fix." She leant forward.

Naruto's expression turned blank as he straightened in his chair to report.

"The mission itself was fairly straight forward, it is just the fact that Sasuke will be seeing his brother, and furthermore, they will be seeing me." He began, clicking his teeth. "Obviously, this is going to blow my cover sky-high. But that's not what I have the biggest problem with."

"Oh?" A blonde eyebrow quirked.

"Now is a good a time as any to end the protection detail I've been doing on Sasuke, the problem is that he may just go completely insane from finding out I was on his brothers' team." He grimaced. "I'm sure you've been informed, but he has basically centred his whole world around killing his brother, and since the massacre was in fact set up, it is probably going to throw his outlook on the world right out. Not to mention, he may see this as another reason to leave, and that Cursed Mark may win him over the next time it acts up."

"He usually gets really hyped and aggressive when Itachi is brought up, so I'm sure I'm going to get a serious assault from him as he demands answers from me."

"Well, what do you want to do about it?" Tsunade rested her head on her fist.

The boy in front of her fidgeted.

"I want to tell him the truth about the massacre." He said. She remained silent, and he went on. "The reason Itachi made Sasuke believe that he had done it all for power was to try and get Sasuke completely attached to the village. He thought that if he showed Sasuke how powerful he got within the village, and how defecting was to turn his back on his clan, that he would drive Sasuke to become a successful Konoha Ninja."

He flicked his head.

"Unfortunately, pretty much the opposite is happening. Itachi-kun was a prodigy, and Sasuke isn't seeing the same improvement in himself that happened for Itachi. Therefore, he thinks he's not getting the right support. Coupled with the Curse Mark and promise of power from Orochimaru, he's dangerously close to becoming a flight risk."

The boy sighed.

"I personally feel like telling Sasuke the truth is the best option. But, it could also happen that Sasuke rebels against the village for ordering the murder of pretty much his whole clan. That's why I'll try my absolute best to guide him to see reason and understanding, and hopefully we can calm him down before he does anything… stupid."

"And how do you propose to calm him down?" Tsunade asked. "All reports I have on the boy say he is prone to impulsive and destructive behaviour, ignoring the safety of himself and his allies."

Naruto didn't deny it.

"I want to show him the full story, the memory scrolls of the event. I know exactly this one. Plus," his eyes flashed with sadness before settling back into neutrality. "I'm a character witness. I can give him almost as much insight and answers as he would get from Itachi."

The blonde Hokage tweaked her jaw as she considered it.

"I agree. The damage has already been done. Head back over and if the situation is right, go ahead and show him."

The boy smiled brightly.

"No problem, Baa-chan. And thanks."

With a flicker, she was alone in her office.

Her eyes bored a hole in the wall opposite her for almost five minutes, before she rose and wrenched open the door.

"SHIZUNE! Get my my Sake!" She slammed the door again just as her apprentice squeaked in shock.

She wasn't taking no for an answer - she'd never needed a drink as badly as she did now.

... ... ... ... ... ...

Just a short chap to show Tsunade's reaction to finding out. I'll do a few of these for the various important people in Naruto's life, because right now he is in full guilt mode for deceiving his friends, and he's setting up to embrace his true self completely. No more hiding.

So far I have lined up Anko, Iruka and, my favourite, Itachi.

Let me know if you'd be interested in seeing a one-on-one with anyone else


	6. Handing In

Hey all. Sorry for the delay in uploads, but some big things have happened in my life, including moving house, a new job and getting quite sick.

Please, continue to enjoy the story, but remember that like most fic writers, I'd prefer to take my time with a chapter than push out some half-assed assortment of words.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

The three members of Team 7 stood before the Hokage, uncharacteristically rigid.

Kakashi was immediately able to deduce that the woman had already been visited by his blonde not-Genin by examining her posture.

Tsunade's hands were clasped in front of her lips, a light scowl adorning the remainder of her visible face. Usually, a genin team reporting in outside of the mission office hours would draw a bored look, or at most pursed lips as she silently lamented the interruption.

The look in her eyes as she surveyed the three of them was sharp and critical, and Kakashi had to force himself to speak.

"Team 7 reporting in." He managed to keep his voice from squeaking, and mentally patted himself on the back for his solid acting skills.

A slow blink and a long silence was his reply.

"Yes," the Fifth Hokage drawled finally. "I can see that."

The hands unclasped as she reached down to shuffle some papers on her desk. Kakashi saw the action for what it really was - her giving herself time to collect her emotions.

"I hear that there was some complications." The tone was chillingly casual.

Kakashi could work with this. Time to play pretend.

"Unfortunately." His eyes closed in a smile. "We ran into a few people we were familiar with in the memory. One of which was Naruto-kun, who therefore wasn't able to view the memory with us. Such a shame!" He sighed dramatically.

Sasuke's arm twitched violently, and Kakashi knew his forced-cheerfulness was aggravating the Uchiha immensely.

Too bad, kid, that's how Hatake Kakashi deals with stress. He'd likely have to put up with it for the remainder of the conversation, unless the Hokage called him on it.

Based on her silence after this statement, it seemed unlikely. She herself had retreated into fiddling - her own way of dealing with stressful situations. Pick up a piece of paper, file it away. Move a paper weight around. Straighten the table mat.

"Was the mission completed, at least?" Tsunade asked with a sigh, her fidgeting hands moving up to rub her eyes.

"Yes," Kakashi confirmed "You'll have your report by this evening."

The goal of the mission had been fairly simple - create a detailed layout of the West side of the city that they had mentally travelled to.

The now-Mayor had reported heavy activity from missing nin in this section, no doubt due to its' advantageous position at the cross roads between Konoha and three other major cities.

While they knew the base was somewhere underground, the city had been changed much in the last few years with expansion and renewal of the run-down area. A year ago, a natural disaster had also rendered a large section inhabitable, and had been completely re-done. Any houses or buildings that housed basements or underground areas were removed or re-arranged, and the law enforcement in the city were having trouble keeping track of all the hiding places.

The previous Mayor - who had been assassinated shortly before the ascension of the current one - was revealed as quite the corrupt businessman since his demise. A slew of accusations were levelled at the deceased man and his consort, ranging from extortion to fraternization with the Yakuza.

Some of his work had been deliberately concealing renovations and destroying blueprints of buildings that could lead to the discovery of the underground criminal group. While the current Mayor was doing an admirable job of trying to fix up the city, the task of manually searching every building on the West side had been far too large a task to undertake while still trying to sort out the political shambles that had been left by his predecessor.

Due to the actions of the corrupt Mayor and the nin-groups themselves, any maps that detailed the area of the city pre-expansion were suspiciously absent, and anyone who was familiar enough with the back streets of the area were being very tight lipped. Thus, the Mayor had asked Konoha to step in to literally fill in the blanks.

Kakashi had hoped to surprise the Genin after leaving the memory, and spend the afternoon piecing together a map between them. Ideally, this would have impressed upon them the importance of paying attention to detail at all times.

However, that all flew out the window the moment that Sasuke spotted his older brother. With the loss of Naruto as well, Kakashi had decided that he'd complete the mission on his own, because if he was going to get chewed out by a hysterical Uchiha, he might as well get paid for it.

He was certain that neither Sasuke nor Sakura would have paid much attention to the scenery with so much distraction.

A curt nod from the Hokage.

"Right. Good." She grunted, more to herself than anything else.

A long, awkward pause as each occupant avoided bringing up the elephant in the room.

Sasuke's arm twitched again, no doubt itching to say something, but bit his tongue.

Finally, without making eye contact with any of the ninja before her, the Hokage spoke.

"Well, I guess we'll have to sort out what to do with him." A sharp nod towards the small blonde boy without quite turning to face him.

Naruto, however, was having none of that.

" _He_ is a perfectly capable Ninja of Konoha with a record to prove it." The blonde's sky blue eyes were dark. As he spoke, he clicked his fingers sharply twice in the direction of the Hokage, demanding attention.

The boy crossed his arms.

"I can see you've busied yourself finding all the information on me that you can." Tsunade's eyes - now turned to the blonde - stubbornly refused to acknowledge the partially-hidden stack of folders beside her as the boy spoke. "No doubt you've got enough proof to convince yourself that this isn't just a huge prank."

The boy took the Hokage's silence for a positive answer.

"I've still been training, _and_ taking missions. You know that. You assigned them." Naruto continued. "There's no reason to treat me any different than you were treating me as an ANBU."

Tsunade finally cracked. Explosively.

"No reason!" Her fists created small craters of splinters in her desk as she slammed them down, propelling herself from her chair. "I have every bloody reason! The stubborn brat who pretended to be Konoha's worst Genin has simultaneously been running S-Rank missions and laughing about fooling us all behind our backs! You were in the Chuunin exams! You could have killed Genin accidentally with a snap of your fingers! This-"

"Oh stop it!" Never before had Kakashi heard a tone of such command from one as young as Naruto. Even Sasuke took an involuntary step back.

"Stop acting like this awkwardness is justified." He jabbed an accusatory finger. "If I was just some random Genin, you'd brush it off, maybe even compliment me on such proficient acting skills! But you know me. You gave me this." He thumbed a necklace from around his neck, and Kakashi's eyes widened as he recognized it.

"You feel betrayed." You could have heard a pin drop. "You think I've been faking everything. Our relationship, my personality. You don't know who I am. I understand." Both blondes deflated, the atmosphere growing calmer.

"Don't worry, Baa-chan." A weak, lop-sided grin. "I may have played up the stupidity and played down the skill, but I'm still me. I've hidden a lot but I've never hidden _me_." A fist clenched above the boys' heart, and Kakashi politely averted his eye as Tsunade's began to glisten.

The room quietened. The Hokage and Naruto remained squared off as their breathing slowed.

Finally, the older-than-she-appeared woman sagged back into her chair.

"Fine." She muttered sourly, though Kakashi noticed that she couldn't hide the warmth she had been exhibiting ever since Naruto's declaration had begun. "What do we do with you, then."

A huge smirk spread across the whiskered boys' face, and suddenly the boy didn't seem all that different.

"I have a plan." The grinning boy declared.

"I'm sure you do." The tone sounded like she aimed for bitter, but was coming out far closer to amusement.

Naruto seated himself comfortably.

"I think I should remain on Team 7." He began, no beating around the bush. "Now that Sasuke is a capable ninja-" Was it Kakashi's imagination, or was that a twitch of pride on the Uchiha's face "-there's no reason for me to stay around as a guard-come-protector, but the longer we stay together, the longer it will take the rumour mill to get going."

The Hokage nodded for him to continue.

"The plan was always for me to start regular ANBU missions again once this was ended, and if I'm often out of the village and Team 7 is frequently seen without me, _something_ is going to get out eventually. So, no point trying to stop the inevitable. We'll just try and cast some doubt on the rumours."

He leant back in the chair.

"Besides, I've been around the team since it started, obviously, and I'll be able to help out. A secondary Sensei." An awkward look overtook his face suddenly.

"I mean, as long as it works out." He added. "If we can't… work together, then obviously we'll have to look at other options."

Kakashi knew what was troubling the boy. For months, he had been just another Genin on the team. A subordinate to Kakashi, and a frustrating team member to Sasuke and Sakura. For the two young - and prideful - Genin to suddenly try and flip their perception of the boy overnight, there might be some problems. In fact, Kakashi noted with mild realization, Naruto would in fact be a _superior_ to himself. He, too, would have to take some time to get used to that.

"I see." Tsunade drawled.

"I'd come and go, just help out with tips and things. Fill in as a team member and such where needed, since there'll be a member down. Obviously I won't be able to fill in for the next Chuunin exams, but I mean, I could help out in other ways." Blue eyes turned to look out the window as he continued. "I still consider the Rookie 9 my friends, so I'd still like to stay around them, if I can."

Kakashi had no doubt the boy had averted his gaze to the window to hide the vulnerability in them. Despite his clear and strong words, Kakashi could hear the light undertones of panic from the boy as he recognized the real possibility of rejection that could come his way.

"He can." The Uchiha surprised the other occupants in the room by biting out his first statement. "I mean, if he's available, we could… learn some things from him." He finished curtly, turning his eyes to the floor immediately.

Kakashi, however, looked up, and ended up meeting the bright blue eyes of the boy who had turned to face the Uchiha as he spoke.

They blinked once, twice, before whiskered cheeks stretched into a grin.

And the room had not felt lighter.

"Great!" Naruto declared, re-invigorated by Sasuke's gruff expression of acceptance. "If that works for you, Hokage-Sama." He added formally.

Tsunade's nose scrunched in disgust.

"That sounds awful, brat!" She shook her head. "Formality doesn't suit you."

Naruto laughed brightly, head flopping to the side.

Tsunade sighed, shaking her head as she rubbed her eyes.

"Alright. Uzumaki Naruto," the addressed boy snapped to attention at her tone of authority. "I hereby award you the official title of Tokubetsu Jonin. Off the record, of course, you shall continue as a member of ANBU. That is not to leave this room."

The occupants nodded at the unmistakable command.

"I'm not promoting you to full Jonin until I've seen what you can do, brat, so you'll just have to deal with that for now." Tsunade grimaced.

Naruto, however, just shrugged cheerfully.

"That's fine. It's just a title anyway. I know what I can do, and once I've been assessed that'll change." The boy spoke.

At that moment, Kakashi truly realized just how different this Naruto was to the one he knew. There was no frustration, or anger at being what was no doubt under-ranked. There was simply respectful acceptance and the promise that he would wait calmly for his chance to show himself.

As though the thoughts had also occurred to Tsunade, it took her a second longer than usual to nod at the boys' declaration.

"Right. Well, there is no way to keep Naruto's abilities completely hidden if he's going to start being as much of an asset to Konoha as he can, but we can certainly keep ANBU status out of the general knowledge. I hereby classify Naruto's ANBU rank as a S-Ranked secret with a Do Not Repeat order." Each Shinobi before her nodded in acceptance.

"Now, go catch Sakura before she has the chance to spread anything around." Tsunade commanded wearily.

Kakashi bowed at the dismissal, bringing his arm up to guide Sasuke from the room. He did not react when Naruto chose not to follow, and instead shut the door behind them with a snap.

Now alone, Tsunade raised her eyebrow at the boy before her.

"Something else you need to mention, Naruto?" Her tone was probing, and she teetered on the line between her 'Hokage' tone and her 'Granny' tone, that she reserved only for Naruto.

"Yes." Blue eyes were wide and calm. "I want to get my team back together."

The room was silent as Tsunade leaned back in her chair.

"All of them?" Tsunade questioned after a pause.

The boy nodded sharply in response, passion burning in his eyes.

The Hokage examined the Uzumaki, taking in his determination and the hint of pleading in his eyes. She understood his wish to re-connect with his teammates. However, she also knew that such an act could disrupt village operations, and one deep-cover mission.

While ANBU Team 4 had been very impressive before their retirement, there was nothing to say that re-forming would grant the same results, or even if team dynamics could reach a workable standard. At least one of the ex-members - the student of her former, corrupt team mate no less - had a well-known temper.

Unblinking blue eyes bored into her own.

Internally, she sighed. Anything for the brat.

"Fine." She was too exhausted for this anyway. "Report back here in one week with a full team."

"Thanks, Baa-Chan!" A blinding smile became a blinding flash as the boy before her disappeared.

Finally fully alone, the blonde Hokage groaned out loud, letting her head fall to her ruined desk with a loud thud.

She really should have held on to that necklace. It really was nothing but trouble.


End file.
